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New Ukrainian church leader rallies populace

PRIMATE OF P.Ts.U. METROPOLITAN EPIFANY ADDRESSES CALL TO UKRAINIAN PEOPLE TO DEFEND UKRAINE FROM RUSSIAN AGGRESSION

Religiina Pravda, 22 February 2022

 

Metropolitan Epifany noted that in the more than a thousand years of the history of our statehood, the enemy has come to the land of Rus-Ukraine several times. He talked about this in an appeal published on the website of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PTsU) on 22 February.

 

"In 1169, Golden-domed Kiev was, for the first time in its history, looted and burned as the result of an attack from the northeast led by Prince Andrei Yurevich of Vladimir-Suzdal. Neither churches nor monasteries, including the caves monastery, escaped destruction. In 1708, troops of the tsar of Moscow seized the capital of the Baturin hetmanate, ravaged all the inhabitants, and set it on fire. In 1918, bolshevik troops seized a part of Ukraine, including Kiev, in the name of the puppet 'republic' created in Kharkov by order of the Russian government, subjecting the inhabitants of the occupied land, including clergymen, to terror," the primate recalled.

 

He noted that these are only a few clear examples from the history of the relations between Rus-Ukraine and Moscow, whose lesson is very simple: in unity is our strength, and internal strife and conflict is the path to enslavement by the enemy.

 

The metropolitan of Kiev recalled that the enumerated attacks on the part of the aggressor neighbor brought their own dismal fruits. The defeat of the hetmanate was turned into the enslavement of the Ukrainian people and the imperialistic eradication of our identity. The bolshevik occupation brought to Ukraine repression, terror, and crimes against humanity on a scale hitherto unheard of in world history, of which the greatest was the Golodomor genocide of 1932-1933.

 

"And so, for us, for the Ukrainian people, there can be only one response to the Kremlin's aggression: united resistance; defense of our native land, freedom, and dignity; and struggle against the aggressor to victory," the primate of the Ukrainian church emphasized.

 

The metropolitan mentioned that Ukrainians may have various convictions, but the Ukrainian state has only one.

 

"History has repeatedly shown that only a sovereign, independent Ukraine is that space where citizens of diverse political views, diverse ethnic origins, and diverse religious convictions can remain free and enjoy the fullness of rights and liberties. Conversely, the life of the Ukrainian lands of Crimea and the Donbass hitherto occupied by Russia testifies that along with the Kremlin occupiers come bloodshed, ruin, enslavement, and fear," the primate concluded.

 

"Therefore I call everyone to the defense of Ukraine from the Russian aggression. I call for the struggle for Ukrainian statehood and support of our armed forces and all our defenders. Together we can withstand. With God's help we will triumph in this struggle," Metropolitan Epifany urged.

 

He recalled that right is on the side of the Ukrainians who are being support by the world community. Millions are daily raising their prayers for peace for Ukraine. At the same time he noted that the Lord has never left the Ukrainian people, giving them strength and wisdom for overcoming challenges. "I am confident that in the current trials, God will help us to defend the right and to establish a just peace," the spiritual leader of Ukraine noted. (tr. by PDS, posted 23 February 2022)

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